The aim of this study was to examine the effect of microfiltered and sterilized seawater ingestion on running performance in a hot environment. This cross-over, double-blind randomized trial included 12 experienced male runners. The subjects randomly consumed seawater (SW) or pure water (placebo) in an equivalent amount of 50 ml five minutes prior to running at 40% of their VO2 max for 95.0 ± 18.5 min, at 30°C, until they lost 3% of body weight. Every 20 minutes, a measurement of their body weight was taken and a blood lactate analysis was performed...

Fencing is a combat sport whose form of direct confrontation involves hitting the opponent with a weapon. The purpose of the study was to determine the properties of body composition of female representatives of the Polish national fencing team. The study involved 11 female athletes of the Polish national fencing team. Their age was 16-22 years (19±2.32), body weight 52-78 kg (59.7±7.4), body height 158-183 cm (167.46±6.10) and the training experience 7.64±3.47 years. The reference group consisted of 153 students of Warsaw University of Technology (Poland)...

Goalkeepers have a very important role in handball. In coaching communities it is well recognized that goalkeepers' performances can predict team ranking in major tournaments. Despite this, few studies have been conducted on elite goalkeepers participating in World Championships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse goalkeepers' save performance during the 88 matches of the 2015 men's World Championships tournament. Goalkeepers from 24 national teams were analysed using a tracking camera system and bespoke software (Prozone Handball V...

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of order and sequence of concurrent resistance and endurance training on body fat percentage (BFP) in a large sample of elementary school-aged girls. One hundred and twenty-six healthy girls, aged 10-11 years (10.95 ± 0.48 years), were randomly assigned to six groups to perform different training protocols per week for 8 weeks: Resistance-only (R), Endurance-only (E), Concurrent Distinct Endurance-Resistance (CDER), Concurrent Parallel Endurance-Resistance (CPER), Concurrent Parallel Resistance-Endurance (CPRE), and a Control group (C)...

Taurine (TA) ingestion has been touted as blunting the deleterious effects of ethanol (ET) ingestion on motor performance. This study investigated the effects of ingestion of 0.6 mL·kg-1 of ET, 6 grams of TA, and ethanol in combination with taurine (ET+TA) on economy of movement (EM) and heart rate (HR). Nine volunteers, five female (22 ± 3 years) and four male (26 ± 5 years), participated in a study that used a counterbalanced experimental design. EM and HR were measured for 6 min while the subjects were pedalling at a fixed load 10% below the anaerobic threshold...

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in associations of serum acylated and des-acylated ghrelin, peptide YY (PYY) and leptin levels with physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CReF) in adolescent boys (mean age of 14.0 years) with overweight (OWB; n=55) and with normal weight (NWB; n=154). METHODS: Total PA was measured by 7-day accelerometry (counts/min) and CReF by peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak/kg). RESULTS: No differences were found in serum PYY, acylated ghrelin or des-acyl ghrelin levels, whereas mean leptin (11...

The aims of this study were to investigate the impacts of acute aerobic exercise on circulating levels of hormones associated with energy metabolism, namely leptin, nesfatin-1 and irisin, in trained and untrained male subjects and to determine whether the timing of the exercise (i.e. morning or night) amplified these impacts. Thirty trained (19.2±0.7 years) and 30 untrained (19.5±0.6 years) male subjects performed two aerobic running exercises (3 days between tests) to 64-76% of the subjects' maximal heart rate for about 30 min...

Recently studies have shown that, depending on the type of training and its duration, the expression levels of selected circulating myomiRNAs (c-miR-27a,b, c-miR-29a,b,c, c-miR-133a) differ and correlate with the physiological indicators of adaptation to physical activity. To analyse the expression of selected classes of miRNAs in soccer players during different periods of their training cycle. The study involved 22 soccer players aged 17-18 years. The multi-stage 20-m shuttle run test was used to estimate VO2 max among the soccer players...

The muscle-specific creatine kinase (CKM) A/G variants (rs8111989) have been associated with skeletal muscle performance in humans; they are correlated with physical performance and contribute to differences in the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) responses during power or endurance training. However, there is not enough definitive evidence to demonstrate whether the A and G allelic variants of the CKM gene rs8111989 are indeed genetic factors that can influence human physical performance. In our study, we identified 9 articles on CKM in a literature search, and conducted two meta-analyses on the CKM rs8111989 A/G allele or genotype differences between power or endurance athletes and general controls...

This study was designed to investigate the effects of exogenous androgen and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy and the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling during the process. A total of 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham operation and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implantation groups with subgroups subjected to sedentary conditions or resistance exercise (SHAM+SED, SHAM+EX, DHT+SED, and DHT+EX). The experimental procedure lasted for 10 days. The mRNA expression of androgen receptor (AR) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), the expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC), as well as the phosphorylation statuses of AR, mTOR, p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70S6K ), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) were determined in the white gastrocnemius muscle...

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of hormonal status, anthropometric profile, sexual maturity level, and physical performance on the technical abilities of 40 young male soccer players during small-sided games (SSGs). Anthropometric profiling, saliva sampling, sexual maturity assessment (Tanner scale), and physical performance tests (Yo-Yo and vertical jumps) were conducted two weeks prior to the SSGs. Salivary testosterone was determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Technical performance was determined by the frequency of actions during SSGs...

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in loaded and unloaded jump performances between different age categories of top-level volleyball players from the same club. Forty-three volleyball players were divided into four age groups: under-17, under-19, under-21 and professional. Vertical jumping height for squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and CMJ with arm swing (CMJa) and mean propulsive velocity (MPV) in the loaded jump squat exercise with 40% of the athlete's body mass were compared among the different age categories, considering body mass as a covariate...

The importance of jumping ability in basketball is well known, but there is an evident lack of studies that have examined different jumping testing protocols in basketball players at advanced levels. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of different tests of jumping capacity in identifying differences between (i) playing position and (ii) competitive levels of professional players. Participants were 110 male professional basketball players (height: 194.92±8.09 cm; body mass: 89.33±10.91 kg; 21...

Previously it was demonstrated that mineralization and alkalization properties of mineral water are important factors influencing acid-base balance and hydration in athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of drinking different types of water on urine pH, specific urine gravity, and post-exercise lactate utilization in response to strenuous exercise. Thirty-six male soccer players were divided into three intervention groups, consuming around 4.0 l/day of different types of water for 7 days: HM (n=12; highly mineralized water), LM (n=12; low mineralized water), and CON (n=12; table water)...

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. While injuries and illnesses can affect the players' health and performance, they can also have a major economic impact on teams. Moreover, several studies have shown the favourable association between higher player availability and team success. Therefore, injury prevention could directly impact clubs' financial balance and teams' performance via increased player availability. To be able to develop effective methods of injury prevention, it is vital to first determine the scope and the degree of the problem: the mechanisms and types of injuries, their frequency and severity, etc...

In addition to different injuries, infections are the most common reason for giving up training altogether or reducing its volume and intensity, as well as a lack of opportunities to participate in sports competitions. Nowadays, a slow but constant re-emergence of pertussis, especially among teenagers and young adults, including athletes, can be observed. This paper describes an outbreak of pertussis among professional Polish shooters, focusing on the transmission of Bordetella pertussis infection between members of the national team, its influence on performance capacity and adverse event analysis...

This technical report aims to determine the validity and the accuracy of the VERT Wearable Jump Monitor. The participants of this study were all experienced volleyball players from the U18 category from the Brazilian National team. To assess jump performance, the VERT scores were compared to the VERTEC (jump and reach device). Each athlete performed 3 attack and 3 block jumps in a random, counterbalanced order, and the average score was registered. In the attack jumps, the VERTEC and VERT mean ± SD scores were 70...